Overview of the Copyright OfficeUnited States Copyright OfficeUSCO_0bc4f656-1cd8-11e7-b430-ca706551e223The United States Copyright Office, and the position of Register of Copyrights, were created by Congress in 1897. The Register directs the Copyright Office as a separate federal department within the Library of Congress, under the general oversight of the Librarian, pursuant to specific statutory authorities set forth in the United States Copyright Act. Earlier in the Nation's history, from 1870-1896, the Librarian of Congress administered copyright registration (at that time mostly books) directly, and earlier still, from 1790-1896, U.S. district courts were responsible for doing so. Library of CongressCongressCourtsExecutive Branch AgenciesCopyright Office LeadershipThe Register of Copyrights is the Director of the U.S. Copyright Office and a recognized leader and lawyer within the U.S. government. By statute, the Register works under the general direction of the Librarian of Congress and carries out a variety of legal and policy functions that are enumerated throughout Title 17. The U.S. Copyright Office has seven main divisions, in addition to the Register's Office, and several hundred staff. There are four Associate Registers of Copyrights and three additional division heads that report directly to the Register and help to carry out her statutory mandate. Karyn Temple ClaggettActing Register of Copyrights --
On October 21, 2016, Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden named Karyn Temple Claggett Acting Register of Copyrights while a national search is conducted for a new permanent Register of Copyrights. Temple Claggett had served as Associate Register of Copyrights and director of policy and international affairs for the United States Copyright Office since January 30, 2013. Prior to that, she served as senior counsel in the Office of Policy and International Affairs.Karyn Temple ClaggettActing Register of Copyrights and Director of the U.S. Copyright OfficeCatherine R. RowlandSenior Advisor to the United States Register of CopyrightsSarang V. DamleGeneral Counsel and Associate Register of CopyrightsRegan SmithDeputy General CounselMaria StrongDeputy Director of Policy and International AffairsRobert J. KasunicAssociate Register of Copyrights and Director of Registration Policy & PracticeErik BertinDeputy Director of Registration Policy and PracticeDenise D. WoffordActing Director of Public Records & RepositoriesWilliam J. Roberts Jr.Associate Register of Copyrights and Director of Public Information and EducationJody A. HarryChief Financial OfficerDavid J. ChristopherChief of OperationsDouglas P. AmentChief Information OfficerRicardo Farraj-FeijooDirector of Copyright Technology Office_0bc4f8c2-1cd8-11e7-b430-ca706551e223To administer the nation's copyright laws for the advancement of the public good; to offer services and support to authors and users of creative works; and to provide expert impartial assistance to Congress, the courts, and executive branch agencies on questions of copyright law and policy._0bc4f9a8-1cd8-11e7-b430-ca706551e223AdministrationAdminister laws relating to copyrights._0bc4fa84-1cd8-11e7-b430-ca706551e2231Today, the Copyright Office is responsible for administering a complex and dynamic set of laws, which include registration, the recordation of title and licenses, a number of statutory licensing provisions, and other aspects of the 1976 Copyright Act and the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act._0bc4fb56-1cd8-11e7-b430-ca706551e223AdviceAdvise Congress on national and international copyright matters._0bc4fc1e-1cd8-11e7-b430-ca706551e2232CongressCongress relies upon, and directs, the Copyright Office to provide critical law and policy services, including domestic and international policy analysis, legislative support for Congress, litigation support, assistance to courts and executive branch agencies, participation on U.S. delegations to international meetings, and public information and education programs. By statute, the Register of Copyrights is the principal advisor to Congress on national and international copyright matters, testifying upon request and providing ongoing leadership and impartial expertise on copyright law and policy...
The past few years have been particularly active, as Copyright Office lawyers assisted Congress with more than twenty copyright review hearings and prepared numerous timely reports, including for example, The Making Available Right in the United States, Copyright and the Music Marketplace, Software-Enabled Consumer Products, and Orphan Works and Mass Digitization._0bc4fcf0-1cd8-11e7-b430-ca706551e223CopyrightsExamine and register copyright claims in books, journals, music, movies, sound recordings, software, photographs, and other works of original authorship_0bc4fdcc-1cd8-11e7-b430-ca706551e2233AuthorsJournalistsMusiciansSoftware DevelopersPhotographersAs of early 2017, the Copyright Office has approximately 400 employees, the majority of whom examine and register hundreds of thousands of copyright claims in books, journals, music, movies, sound recordings, software, photographs, and other works of original authorship each year. In fiscal year 2016, the Office processed over 468,000 claims for registration, issued over 414,000 registrations, received 91 percent of claims via our online application system, and collected $30 million in fees from registration._0bc4fe9e-1cd8-11e7-b430-ca706551e223DepositsProvide copyright deposits to the Library for its collections._0bc50024-1cd8-11e7-b430-ca706551e2234Library of CongressThe Office also acts as a conduit for the Library, providing certain works of authorship, known as copyright deposits, to the Library for its collections. In fiscal year 2016, the Office forwarded more than 636,000 works, worth a net value of $35.6 million, to the Library._0bc50132-1cd8-11e7-b430-ca706551e223RoyaltiesCollect royalty payments._0bc5020e-1cd8-11e7-b430-ca706551e2235During calendar year 2016, the Office collected over $244 million in royalty payments from compulsory and statutory licenses under sections 111, 119, and 1003._0bc502ea-1cd8-11e7-b430-ca706551e223ModernizationModernize the Copyright Office._0bc503d0-1cd8-11e7-b430-ca706551e2236In recent years, the Office has taken steps, through a set of public discussions, to propose ways to modernize the Copyright Office by examining relationships between the law, regulations, registration practices, technology, access to data, and the evolving copyright marketplace._0bc504b6-1cd8-11e7-b430-ca706551e223CollaborationsWork with other agencies._0bc50628-1cd8-11e7-b430-ca706551e2237Department of JusticeDepartment of StateOffice of the U.S. Trade RepresentativeDepartment of CommercePatent and Trademark OfficeOffice of the Intellectual Property Enforcement CoordinatorFinally, the Copyright Office works regularly with the Department of Justice, the Department of State, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the Department of Commerce, including the Patent and Trademark Office, and the Office of the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator._0bc50718-1cd8-11e7-b430-ca706551e2232017-04-09https://www.copyright.gov/about/OwenAmburOwen.Ambur@verizon.net